Navigating grief and identity loss in early sobriety
One of the most unexpected challenges in early sobriety isn’t physical withdrawal or cravings; it’s the unsettling sense that you no longer know who you
One of the most unexpected challenges in early sobriety isn’t physical withdrawal or cravings; it’s the unsettling sense that you no longer know who you
An addiction to alcohol is the most common of all the addictions. It is known by various terms including alcoholism, alcohol dependency, alcohol addiction or
The road to alcoholism There are two things that really stick in my mind from when I was in alcohol addiction treatment at The Haynes
The age of people drinking alcoholically is falling There is absolutely no question that the age of people being admitted into residential treatment for alcohol
Alcohol addiction is a relatively common medical condition Alcohol addiction or alcoholism are not words that we like to be labelled with, especially if that
What is an alcohol disorder? Alcohol Use Disorder, Alcoholic, Problem Drinking, Alcohol Abuse, Alcoholism: these are all terms that are being used more frequently these
Young people are now facing abstinence from alcohol for life I can truly understand the reluctance of anyone in their 20s not being willing to
The first drink The majority of people will remember where and when they had their first alcoholic drink and they will also remember the pleasurable
You don’t need to drink spirits to become addicted to alcohol At The Haynes Clinic we offer free assessments either by telephone or, if people
Do you have to drink in the morning to be an alcoholic? It is surprising the amount of people who, during their assessment at The
I enjoyed alcohol from my early days I remember the first time that alcohol had, what I thought, a positive effect on me. I used
Accidental death due to alcohol When I was at university – 40 years ago – I had my first contact with alcohol as a killer.
Compulsive drinking can impact anyone If you are reading this, the chances are that you are either concerned about your own drinking or about someone
Cocaine is a stimulant which usually gives a ‘high’ and alcohol is a depressant affecting mood, thinking, mobility, behaviour and judgement.
The liver is one of the most complex organs in the human body, with over 500 functions. These include filtering out blood toxins, storing energy, making hormones and proteins.
What are the best ways of supporting your child whose drinking or using is out of control? First, it may be the case that you think they have a problem but they do not think this.
Addiction is a family illness. It seems that if one family member is an alcoholic or addict – there is a higher chance that someone else in the family will be.
Living with an alcoholic is far from easy. This will be a personal account from my own experience of living with an alcoholic step-parent.
Families are affected and often require guidance and support in how to deal with the family member who is an alcoholic or addict.
If you are wondering if the behaviour traits you are noticing are signs of, or because of addiction, read on.
Giving up alcohol permanently is a choice that brings its own challenges. But life does not necessarily have to become boring.
There have been many reports of how the pandemic has caused increased drinking – boredom, anxiety, stress, loneliness are some of the contributors
To some extent, getting through Christmas sober will depend on where you are at with your sobriety and recovery.
If you are worrying about being an alcoholic and need some support, there is no better person to understand how you are feeling than a fellow alcoholic.
A commonly used term many people believe that alcoholics have to reach in order to start getting well.
According to a recent survey conducted by One Poll amongst 2000 adults, alcohol consumption has risen with four in ten households drinking more.
Am I an Alcoholic? Can you answer yes to one or more of the below? If you have responded yes to one or more of
If you think you are drinking too much and feel you need help read more
Signs of alcoholism causing concern Many people identify the signs of alcoholism and become concerned about their drinking – or the drinking of someone in
People are drinking more at home. Many people are drinking less during lockdown as the pubs and restaurants are closed and they are unable to
Every so often there will be a report in the news about how drinking alcohol in moderation is good for you. If you are someone
What thoughts and images does Cambridge evoke in you? Cambridge is a beautiful city, famous for its university, museums, students (cycling round the city), the
How is it going? Dry January – How is it going so far? Has it been a really positive experience in which you have felt
What does Christmas and the holiday season represent for you? A season to look forward to with your family, friends and colleagues? Or a time
This week is alcohol awareness week. Last week a report was published based on research by the Organisation for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD) which
This is a common question that people ask me as a consultant psychiatrist at The Haynes Clinic. Often what they really mean is not ‘how
From my personal experience, living with an alcoholic is somewhat an emotional rollercoaster. On one hand you love that family member who suffers from addiction
My name is Jane and I have alcohol addiction. True, I have not had a drink now for 5 years. I now know that if
There has been a lot of publicity recently about the reduction in the proportion of young people drinking. More than a quarter (27%) of young
Over the past month there has been a lot of publicity about the appointment of Brett Kavanaugh to the Supreme Court in the USA. The
For almost everyone, their first drink tastes disgusting and takes a long time to get down. My first drink was bought for me by my
Consuming alcohol over the recommended amount of units may lead to liver disease. Excessive alcohol intake over a prolonged period of time leads to an
Do you think you might be an alcoholic? There may be many reasons why you do not want even to consider this question in relation
What came first? Drinking too much so that my life fell apart? Or my life falling apart and then I drank too much? The truth
Even in hindsight, it is hard to identify exactly when my alcoholism started to become a problem. I know I had to hide it to
As a teenager, I was not known for being a heavy drinker. I had my first alcoholic drink at the age of 13 when my
Here is an example of one type…. the successful driven woman who ended up in a rehab clinic I never thought I would end up
In the present day pressure cooker existence of modern life. What greater threat is there for the well-being and future of ourselves and our children
Read On… Growing up as a child with an alcoholic parent was difficult and I was full of fear. My mother was an alcoholic from
“As the writer Pete Hamill a high functioning alcoholic said in his memoir, “A Drinking Life.” “If I was able to function, to get the
How can I be an alcoholic? That is what I said to my girlfriend when a woman I knew from my teens died of liver
Living With An Addict My name is Polly and I grew up living with an addict. A woman who today is in recovery from her
The latest alcohol statistics report (Health & Social Care Information Centre, 2011) that in England, in 2009, 69% of men and 55% of women (aged
Facts that Contradict this Belief DO I DRINK BECAUSE I AM DEPRESSED?OR AM I DEPRESSED BECAUSE I DRINK?It is generally perceived that someone who drinks
Who invented alcohol? The simple answer is nature did. Natural growing yeast, found in soils (saccharomyces cerevisiae) eats the naturally occurring sugars in fruit or
This is a story of what alcohol did to a patient and how they found help to stop drinking, hope and a new life through
Alcohol addiction affects us all at some point in our lives and manifests itself through a number of different ways. It affects all walks of
Alcoholism is a chronic, often progressive disease in which a person craves alcohol and drinks despite repeated alcohol related problems (like losing a job or
For a person with alcoholism and substance abuse one of the hardest steps in reaching recovery is overcoming the denial, rationalisation and justification which almost
We are not only fooled into drinking alcohol because of the image of sophistication, glamour and maturity that has been portrayed in the advertising. We
When we first start drinking, we are usually in the company of so-called normal drinkers who seem to be enjoying a drink. As a child,
Alcohol is a depressant so by definition it does not make you happy. So many people who book into the Haynes Clinic believe that their
How sociable is drinking? It is not sociable when people get so drunk that fights break out; or when things are said that ought not
Are Alcoholics Weak Willed? The resounding answer to this is ‘no’. Many alcoholics develop a drinking problem for precisely the opposite reason. The conventional view
Do some of us have an addictive personality which means that we were destined to become alcoholics or addicts? This is a challenging question and
We are all led to believe that alcohol will do something for us and is beneficial. It will make us happy, sophisticated, more sociable, more
If I were to say straight out that alcohol does not relieve stress, I would be shot down in flames. So many people would say,
It is a myth that alcohol gives you courage, reduces your fear?. People who believe it does will point to the fact that people were
Alcohol and Our Bodies Our bodies are amazing machines. If you think about the complexity of the human body and what it achieves it is
Carr refers to the whole culture of alcohol in the Western world as a brainwashing exercise. He says that from when young we are bombarded
Alcohol is a poison that shortens your life considerably. It is addictive. It will destroy your immune system and impair your concentration and judgement. It
It is universally agreed – including by Allen Carr – that a definition of alcoholism is someone who has lost control of their drinking. However,
I am about to read Allen Carr’s ‘Easy Way To Control Alcohol’. I need to read this as many people refer to it when ringing
Families My wider family – mother, brothers and sister – were all very aware at the end of my drinking that I had a problem.
Many of us who drink too much have an ongoing fear about the physical damage we are doing to our bodies, not so much about
Ironically, I was a bit of a lightweight a drinking as a teenager. My older sister and brother insisted I had my first drink at
Anyone can become an alcoholic or addict. If you are reading this, you may well know that, as only those with an interest in the
Limits and guidelines have been introduced to guide people on how much and what they should drink. It is suggested that men must drink less
Everyone knows that alcoholics are physically addicted and many of us worry far more about any physical damage we might be doing to ourselves before
There are two related reasons why the figures will not tally. First, there is the issue of assuming we can get real and accurate information
An article in the Sunday Times yesterday highlighted the issue of the increasing number of middle aged women who are turning to online help for
In the news at the moment is the ongoing story of Newcastle-born Paul Gascoigne. Who is regarded as one of England’s most gifted players ever,
Alcoholics Anonymous is a fellowship of men and women who share their experience, strength and hope with each other that they may solve their common
One of my biggest regrets about my drinking is how it affected my children and how there is nothing I can do to take that
Alcoholism is by no means easy to understand and there are many factors that influence an individual’s chances of choosing to drink. Raising their risk
If you want to stay sober, it is important to remember how bad drinking made your life. It is not a good idea to look
There are a number of similarities in the behaviour, thinking and memory of those with early onset dementia and those who have abused alcohol or
Many of us recovering alcoholics are perfectionists and we are also our own worst critic. Indeed, having gone through the rehab experience and examined my
If you go to an Alcoholics Anonymous meeting, you will probably see displayed somewhere the slogan ‘Easy does It’. Why? Many of us alcoholics –
Tradition 6 is along the same lines as Tradition 4 – that AA is entirely independent and does not get involved with any outside organisations
Soon after stopping drinking – and once you have got over the physical withdrawal symptoms. You will feel restless and continuously think about drinking. One
For an alcoholic or drug addict, alcohol and drugs are absolutely no-go areas if we want to stay healthy. If someone had an allergy to
This phrase can have several different meanings, especially for those of us who are alcoholics. When we were drinking, its most appropriate use was in
Many of us will be familiar with the promise that ‘we will never do it again’ after yet another heavy drinking or using session. We
Rehab is discovery, Alcoholics Anonymous is recovery – so goes the saying and I believe it. When I was actively drinking and miserable, in 2005,
In order to start on the path of recovery, an alcoholic must recognise that they have a disease and their behaviour and habits are reflections
This is a golden rule that all recovering alcoholics have to live by. It is a simple one. If we follow it we can never
Are you depressed? Do you no longer love yourself? Are you aware that drinking too much is all part of this miserable existence? Would you
There is no harm in going out and enjoying yourself and having a few drinks. It may be that there is no harm in experimenting
Many of us grew up knowing there were certain expectations placed upon us and many of us tried to comply and be the person we
The reading today in Daily Reflections is taken from the Big Book of Alcoholics Anonymous about relations with our children. The alcoholic may find it
It is well known that excessive drinking can lead to liver damage. The three main stages in increasing order of severity are fatty liver, liver
Alcohol Abuse on the Liver The main effect on physical health that almost everyone is aware of from alcohol abuse is liver damage. The liver
Alcoholism on Children – There was an item on the news this morning about how many children in the United Kingdom suffer from having at
Many alcoholics are strong minded and intelligent people. That is one of the reasons we get into trouble with our drinking – we think that
It is becoming more and more widely accepted that alcoholism is a disease and in order to begin the recovery process, the alcoholic has to
There are far more to being an alcoholic and having a “party” lifestyle than a beer belly and constant hangovers. Binge drinking can lead to
Alcohol effects on The Brain Let us first look at effects on the brain. We have small blood vessels feeding our brain and these protect
In order to start on the path of recovery an alcoholic must recognise that they have a disease. Their behaviour and habits are reflections of
It is hard for some to make the distinction between social drinking and alcoholism. To recognise when their drinking has crossed over from social to
Of course holidaying abroad is common among Britons hoping to escape the country’s wet weather this summer. Yet the idea of a ‘Summer Holiday’ has
A lot of people believe that there are only two kinds of people in the world, those that have a problem with drinking and those
I realised I was dependent on alcohol – at that time I would not admit I was an alcoholic (though actually they are one and
I have recently been talking to family members of people who do not want to recognise that the person they love is an alcoholic. It
A functioning alcoholic is a person who can hold a job and carry out their normal daily responsibilities, whilst being dependent on alcohol. Many people
Do you think you might be an alcoholic? There may be many reasons why you do not want even to consider this question in relation
Even in hindsight, it is hard to identify exactly when my alcoholism started to become a problem. I know I had to hide it to
As a teenager, I was not known for being a heavy drinker. I had my first alcoholic drink at the age of 13 when my
I never thought I would end up as an alcoholic in a rehab clinic. Me, the successful one, that everyone believed had it all. Successful
In the present day pressure cooker existence of modern life, what greater threat is there for the well-being and future of ourselves and our children
A high functioning alcoholic is a person that is capable of sustaining their often high profile jobs, relationships, academics and hobbies whilst drinking alcoholically. They
Korsakoff’s syndrome Being alcohol dependent may lead to poor eating habits. Alcohol dependent persons often report lack of appetite or inability to keep food down.
The very fact that you are asking this question must mean that when you drink it is not always a happy experience. Maybe the occasion